Disappearance (2002) Movie Script
(upbeat Multicom jingle)
(wind howling)
(light whooshing)
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(light creaking)
(paper rustling)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(tense music)
(door creaking)
(tense music)
(door creaking)
(tense music)
(footsteps thudding)
(loud crashing)
(woman panting)
(door slamming)
(tense music)
(woman whimpering)
(palm thudding)
(door rattling)
- No, no!
No, please!
No, don't!
No! (screams)
(wings flapping)
(somber music)
- I haven't seen anything in an hour.
- What's the trip computer say, Dad?
- 100 miles.
- No problem, there's gas in less than 50.
(tires rumbling)
(fly buzzing)
(tumbleweed rustling)
(fly buzzing)
(tense music)
(tires rumbling)
(car doors bang)
- Can you fill it with premium, please?
- Self serve, no premium.
Hey, I'd like one of these.
What do they cost?
- Well, they're not cheap.
- About as big as my trailer
and a hell of a lot nicer.
(flies buzzing)
(tense music)
- You can eat it, thanks.
- You're gonna try it?
- Yeah.
- What do you think?
Cow?
- Maybe like some geriatric cow.
- Roadkill, three days old.
- [Matt] Disgusting.
- [Patty] All right, you
guys, you don't like it,
don't eat it.
We've got stuff in the car.
Hey.
- Is there something wrong with the food?
- No, no, the food's fine.
We just weren't that hungry.
Can we have the check?
- Sure.
(fly buzzing)
- So where exactly is this ghost town?
- Mining town, I don't even
know if it's still there.
Check it out.
Ethan's dad had this map
from the '40s or something,
and the town Weaver is on the old map,
but it's not on any of the new ones.
- Could be really cool.
- Don't you have enough pictures
of falling down buildings
and rusty junk?
- Come on, Dad, wasn't that the deal?
We'd all do the whole
family adventure thing,
but if any of us want a
side trip, we'd do it.
And it looks like the turnoff's
only a couple miles from here.
- So how far is this motel tonight?
- About 200 miles.
I've gotta check in with the office.
So you guys figure it out,
I'm with you either way.
- That's what, three hours?
You want to get there four
o'clock in the afternoon
and then what, we watch TV?
- I wanna swim.
- You'll swim, just later.
Come on, Dad.
We're never gonna be here again.
- We'll see.
(soft rock music on radio)
There's supposedly an old
mining town called Weaver,
it's up in the hills
not too far from here.
You ever heard of it?
- Billy, you know anything
about a town called Weaver?
- Can't help you there, Mister.
- Yeah, well, it's on this old map--
- Never heard of it.
How was your meal?
- Great.
It was great.
Keep the change.
(tense music)
- [Patty] No, I didn't expect
that from the discounts.
No.
Is Arthur happy with his tour schedule?
Mm-hmm.
- She's always on the phone, Dad.
- Well, she is now.
She's got two books coming out next week.
- Maybe she should have stayed home.
- Listen, Katie.
Patty's a member of the family now.
She's put a lot of effort
into making this work,
including taking off at a bad time.
So cut her a little slack, will ya?
- Sorry.
- That's all right.
Excuse me.
We're trying to get to
Weaver, a little mining town.
We got a map says there a turnoff
a couple miles down the road.
- Weaver?
Mm, I don't know any Weaver.
- Oh.
- Want some advice?
Stay on the pavement.
- What's that mean?
- What I said.
- Right.
Thanks.
(tense music)
(engine humming)
- Man, and she wondered why
we weren't eating the food.
Burnt enough for ya 'cause we can
incinerate that puppy a little more?
- They probably cruise
the highway every morning
looking for the lunch special.
- Yeah, but if it's really flattened,
it's hard to get the hair out.
- Oh, no.
Oh, gross.
Oh, gross.
That place was weird.
Close encounter of the weird kind.
- Keep your eye out, Dad.
Should be right up here somewhere.
- Wow, looks like there's
a road right up here.
(suspenseful music)
- How far is this ruin supposed to be?
- According to the map, it
should be just in those hills.
About 35 miles.
- 35 Miles?
You really wanna photograph this place?
- I'm psyched.
- Well.
- Well, let's go to Weaver.
- [Matt] All right.
Patty rocks!
- Here we go.
(tense music)
(tires rumbling)
(tense music)
- [Matt] Hey, check it out.
- Looks like an old plane.
- Can we go look?
- No problem.
(engine humming)
(tense music)
- How long has this been here, Dad?
- I don't know, long time.
From the '60s, maybe.
(camera clicking)
- It's amazing.
Probably ran out of gas.
- You don't just nose in like
this if you run outta gas.
You glide it in, try to land it.
(camera clicking)
- It's weird.
If it came straight in,
it'd be in 1000 pieces.
- Maybe it was nighttime and
their instruments were broke.
They didn't even know they
were going down until it hit.
(horn honking)
- [Katie] Come on, guys, let's go.
- You got enough pictures, Matt?
- Yeah, this is so cool.
It's like one second you're alive,
and then wham, you're toast.
- Not so cool if you're the toast.
(horn honking)
Oh, come on, Matt.
Let's go.
- I bet it didn't even hurt.
(tense music)
(camera clicking)
(tense music)
- I just wanna make
sure they hold the room.
- I wonder if this mining town exists,
and we look around for about an hour,
we ought to make the
motel around nine o'clock.
- Okay.
- No, completely dead.
Must be the mountains.
- Hey, look at this.
We're heading East, right?
- Yeah.
- A couple miles ago, the compass
said we were heading East.
Now it says we're heading South.
We haven't changed direction.
(dash beeping)
Oh, there we go.
(dash beeping)
Oops, and now it dies all together.
Doo, doo
- You are entering a world
where compasses go crazy.
- Airplanes fall from the sky.
Cell phones don't work.
(Patty laughs)
A world where--
- Morons are still morons.
(tense music)
(tires screeching)
- Wow.
- Oh, this is way cool.
- I can't believe no one back
at the diner knew about this.
- Maybe they did.
- Yeah, they don't want
tourists ripping it off.
- Well, I didn't see any signs.
Nothing that said "No trespassing."
- Wow.
- Wow.
(car doors bang)
- Maybe they didn't know about it.
I mean, it's not on any of the new maps.
- That's hard to believe.
- Sure doesn't look like
anybody's been here.
- Why would everyone just leave?
- This whole mountain
looks like an old mine.
- Hey guys, come look at this.
What's up with this?
- Looks like they just walked
away and never came back.
- Hey, a manual typewriter.
Oh, I haven't seen one
of these in a while.
- Hey Ethan, why don't
you take some of this
and see if anything happens?
- I don't think so.
- You sure?
- Yeah, but you go right ahead.
- Don't even joke, guys.
- Hey, if anyone's hungry,
I think they're still serving next door.
- [Matt] Oh, this is too weird.
- Remember we went to Bodie.
Looks a lot like this.
Old mining town and
furniture was still out.
Kitchen, dishes everywhere.
- But that was a state park.
They have Rangers living there
to make sure nothing is disturbed.
This calendar is from 1948.
- That was 54 years ago.
- I thought it was like
1800s or something.
- Well, that's when it was built,
but electric lighting, genius.
- So after lunch one
day, everyone just left?
- Hey Dad, I'm gonna take
some pictures over here, okay?
- Yeah, just be careful, will ya?
The floor in here is not that stable.
(suspenseful music)
(floor creaking)
(door creaking)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(suspenseful music)
Whoa.
(camera clicking)
(dramatic music)
(Matt gasps)
- Chill.
- You chill, look at this thing.
- Yow.
That's sick, what is it?
- I don't know, skin of something.
- Yeah, but what?
- Don't do that!
Just leave it alone, okay?
- Look how they painted on it and stuff.
- Let's just get outta here.
(suspenseful music)
(door creaking)
- Well, it's time to go anyway,
so let's not worry about it, okay?
- But that was a skin, Dad.
And it was like put there on purpose.
- I saw a movie where they
had weird stuff like bones
in a house and then a guy
with a chainsaw, and he--
- Ethan.
- Sorry.
(car doors bang)
(engine stalling)
Very funny, Dad.
- I'm not joking, Matt.
(engine stalling)
Huh.
Lights are off, transmission's in park.
Well, let's take a look.
- Looks like an engine.
- Yeah, that would be my guess too.
- Do you know what the problem is?
- Mm-hmm.
Car won't start.
- Tell me we're not
spending the night here.
- [Jim] Matt, could you
pass me the cheese here?
- [Patty] This wasn't so bad.
It worked out pretty good.
- What exactly is vapor lock, Dad?
- Well, it's...
Well, it's a kind of heat car thing.
- When you drive for a
while, like we did today,
and then stop, vapor can
accumulate in the fuel line.
Yeah, the only thing you can
do is wait until it dissipates.
- Right.
Hopefully it'll start up
first thing in the morning.
- It's that word that worries me.
- What word?
- Hopefully.
- How do you know about
all that stuff, Patty?
- Hmm, the great thing
about being an editor.
We put out the Fool's Guide To Car Repair.
I've had to read 'em all.
- (chuckles) Cool.
(owl hooting)
- Hey, look what I found.
This was behind a box, it's all dirty.
That'll play in ours?
- Yeah, let's take a look.
- [Boy] All right.
- [Girl] We don't even have enough room.
- Okay.
Okay.
(people chattering)
(people cheering)
(static buzzing)
- [Ethan] Hey, that's
the place we stopped.
- [Patty] There's our waitress.
- Hey that store's here.
- Uh huh.
(woman laughs)
- That was a mirror.
- I know, it's great.
- Can you believe this?
This is wild.
(suspenseful music)
(people chattering)
Brian's been missing for over an hour.
We've been looking and we keep looking,
but the car won't start
and I don't know why.
(static buzzing)
It's just me now.
Everybody's gone.
Rachel and Brian and Steve.
Oh my God.
No, no!
(suspenseful music)
(camera thuds)
- We gotta get out of here.
- [Jim] What do you think?
(people chattering)
(dramatic music)
(crickets chirping)
(crow cawing)
- [Matt] Of course it's
real, it's on tape.
- It could just be a joke.
The one guy that was missing,
maybe he's playing a
practical joke on the others.
Trying to scare them.
- They're dead.
- I don't think--
- You don't know.
What do you know?
- Cut it out, Katie.
Don't use that tone of voice.
- Fine, sorry.
- That looked plenty real to me.
And something was after her.
- How do we know it's not still here?
- Yeah.
- All right, everybody just cool it, okay?
Now we don't know that anything's here,
and we don't know what that tape is.
- Well, what could it be?
- Well, it could be a student film.
Or like Patty said, it
could be a practical joke
that somebody left behind.
I mean, there's any number
of explanations for it.
It's a...
Well look, whatever it is,
what happened on that tape
happened a long time ago.
- Absolutely, look at this.
How long do you think this
has been sitting here?
One, two years?
Even longer.
- That's right, and there's no sign
anybody's been in this town.
There's not a footprint out
there, not a tire track.
There's no trash blowing
around in the street.
So I don't want you guys whipping yourself
up over nothing, okay?
All right, so let's lay our
sleeping bags out on the floor,
get a good night's sleep,
and tomorrow morning
we'll be outta here, okay?
Get to it, come on.
- This is bad, man.
I don't care what your Dad says.
- You sound scared.
You scared?
- Hell no.
(crickets chirping)
- I didn't know you had a gun.
- Yeah, well, I keep it in the garage.
I only brought it along 'cause, well,
in case we broke down or something and--
- You still should have told me.
- Right, sorry.
- Except right about now, I
wouldn't argue against it.
That tape.
Pretty scary.
- Yeah.
- I don't think that girl was acting.
- Well, if she was, she's really good.
- I can't imagine that
whoever was after them
would still be here.
- No.
No, not after so much time.
- Then we have nothing to worry about.
- Right.
- So you went to get the gun because?
- I hate to be wrong.
(trunk door slams)
Let's go.
(somber music)
I don't know, sometimes I don't get it.
- I know, but Matt's older.
I think he just hides it better.
- Yeah, well, Katie doesn't.
But she's such a sweet kid.
Where does that attitude come from?
- From being 12?
It's hard enough when your mom
dies and your dad remarries.
It's tough.
- That was five years ago.
I don't know.
I was sort of hoping that
this trip would be a,
I don't know.
- A bonding thing?
- Yeah, you know.
New family creates new memories.
- Oh, well, we're definitely doing that.
- Oh no.
I'll do it.
- No, just leave it.
It's okay, really.
(crickets chirping)
(owl hooting)
(mysterious creaking)
(distant banging)
(distant banging)
(suspenseful music)
(distant banging)
(switch clicking)
(steps creaking)
(suspenseful music)
(loud banging)
(rapid banging)
(suspenseful music)
(rapid banging)
(loud banging)
(suspenseful music)
(door creaking)
(loud banging)
(suspenseful music)
(loud banging)
(Jim sighs)
(owl screeches)
(Jim screams)
- Dad!
- Jim!
- Dad!
- Dad!
- Dad!
- What's up there?
- What was that?
- Dad!
- Where's your Dad?
- Okay, okay, it's me.
It's me, it's me, everything's okay.
It's me, it's me, it's just me.
Everything's okay.
- I don't think.
- No, no, it's nothing up there.
Nothing to be afraid of.
Nothing to be scared of.
- You were scared.
- Well, I heard this noise.
I went up there to check it out.
There's nothing.
It's just a wind blowing
against the windows.
- Why'd you yell?
- Well, it was just this, this owl.
It came out, it kind of
surprised me, that's all.
Look, everything's all right.
Just get back in your bags now.
Just go back to bed, come on.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sure.
Come on, everything's fine.
It's all right.
Go back to sleep, huh?
(crickets chirping)
(suspenseful music)
(mysterious panting)
(footsteps thudding)
(dramatic music)
(mysterious breathing)
(flashlight switch clicks)
(mysterious breathing)
(birds chirping)
(somber music)
- [Jim] You can have anything you want.
- I want pancakes.
Any place but that diner.
- Well, if you can wait until
the next town, so can I.
- Why are you guys even packing?
- 'Cause we're outta here.
- If the car starts.
- Yeah, think positively, Katie.
(footsteps thudding)
- Dad, your car's gone.
- I don't get it, I
would've heard something.
- Where are the keys?
(keys jangling)
(somber music)
(somber music)
Somebody stole the car and that's it.
- I don't believe it.
They must have followed us here
and then somehow disabled the car
while we were looking around.
- So why didn't we hear
the car start last night?
- I don't think they started it.
No, I think they slipped it into neutral
and then pushed it down
the street onto a trailer.
It's probably halfway to Mexico by now.
- We're not gonna be able to
walk out of here as a group.
- I know.
Matt, I want you to stay
here with Patty and Kate.
Ethan, you'll come with me, is that okay?
- That's cool.
- Dad, that gas station
must be 35 miles back.
- Well, that's if you go back by the road,
but if we cut straight across the desert,
should be more like 20.
- 20's nothing.
- Yeah, we oughta be able to
get there in six, seven hours.
- This is a bad idea.
Another bad idea.
We should stick together,
everybody hike out.
- Hon, 20 miles is a long way.
Now if someone can't make it,
then we're all in trouble.
Ethan and I ought to be able
to go faster than the group.
- We're gonna be skinned
and nailed to the wall,
and nobody's ever gonna know.
- Hey sweetie, whoever was here last night
was here for the car, not for us.
Now they're gone.
- Katie, nothing bad's gonna happen.
Promise.
And your dad will be
back before you know it.
- Before you know it.
The water bottles still inside?
- Yeah.
- I don't anticipate any trouble.
If I did, I wouldn't leave you here.
- I want you to leave the gun.
- You hate guns.
You ever use one?
- Yeah.
My dad used to take me to the range.
I don't like guns, but I can shoot.
Trust me.
- What else don't I know?
- Oh.
Well...
lots.
I know it's our best option,
but I don't like you going off.
So.
Get back fast, okay?
- Okay.
(lips smacking)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
- Yeah, happened about five years ago.
September.
Listen, if you want to take a break,
we can stop any time, huh?
- It's okay.
I didn't know Matt then.
He talks about her a lot though.
- Yeah?
- Just how great his mom was
and how he misses her and stuff.
He never says how she died.
- Did you ever ask him?
- He just said she got sick.
- It was an aneurysm.
It happened really quick.
- Oh, sorry about that, Mr. A...
- Oh, eh.
Don't move.
- Oh, man.
- No, no, just don't move.
Just don't move a muscle, all right?
- Just get it away from me.
- Matt, just don't talk.
- No, ah!
(snake thumps)
I got bit, I got bit! (groans)
- My batteries are dead.
- Duh, you only use them 24/7.
Are we just gonna sit here all day?
The fact is, if someone's after us,
they could get us just
as good sitting inside,
as they could walking around outside.
- But Dad said there
was no one here anyway.
- We stick together, all right?
- It hurts.
It really hurts.
I don't wanna die, please.
- You're not gonna die.
You weren't bitten.
- Yeah, I was.
- This is your lucky day.
Got your wallet.
(tense music)
- Some of these are really old.
This one's from 1850.
- Great, half the town.
Listen.
"Poorly lived and poorly died.
"Poorly buried and no one cried."
- Cool.
Let me get that.
People didn't live very long back then.
Some of these guys were dead in their 20s.
- Mm-hmm.
Well, mining was dangerous work.
(tense music)
(fly buzzing)
(suspenseful music)
- Hey guys, you gotta see this.
(footsteps thudding)
- I think Dad might have
been wrong about that tape.
- Come on, let's go.
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
- It was weird.
Those colors, it wasn't a rattlesnake.
- No.
- What do you think it was?
- I don't know, I never
seen anything like it.
- What's that?
Is that a hallucination?
- I don't think so.
- Well, what is it?
- It's not a Mirage.
We're too close.
Come on.
- Dad shouldn't have left us.
- [Matt] Somebody killed those people,
and it wasn't too long ago.
- [Patty] Matt, we don't know
that anybody killed anybody.
- Yeah, we do.
It was on tape.
I'm not a kid, Patty.
- [Patty] I'm not saying you are.
- Then let's not pretend
that everything's cool
'cause it's not.
- It's so not.
- Okay, but a grave does not mean murder.
- Hey, if nobody's here, no problem.
- And that's our assumption.
We haven't seen or heard
anything here, right?
We have no reason to think
other than being spooked
by some graves that somebody else is here.
- Well, what's the plan
if we're not alone?
- Your Dad didn't leave
us without protection.
- Whoa.
- Now I don't think we're gonna need it.
But if we do, we'll be glad we have it.
- You sure?
- Nah, it's glass.
- Why'd somebody put
glass out in the desert?
- Come on.
- Ground Zero.
Site of the first successful detonation
of a neutron device.
September 21, 1948.
Atomic Energy Commission.
That like an atomic bomb?
- Sort of.
- Wouldn't it have
leveled that whole town?
- No, neutron bomb was a radiation device.
It was designed to kill people,
leave the building's standing.
- No way.
- Yeah.
Yeah, it was massive amounts of radiation.
They never used it.
- So where's this glass come from?
- Well, we're standing right
where the bomb exploded.
Ground zero.
Intense heat from the
detonation must have,
must have turned the sand into glass.
- Wow.
Are we like getting radiated now?
- No, that was over 50 years ago.
- You think that's what
killed everybody in the town?
- No, I'm sure they were evacuated.
I just can't figure out why
they left so much stuff behind.
Come on, we've been
walking about three hours.
We gotta make time, let's go.
- No, no.
He said he'd be back in
the afternoon sometime.
- He should be back by now.
- He's only been gone five hours.
- If he's not back by
sundown, we walk back out.
Straight down the road to the diner.
- That's 35 miles.
- But it will be dark,
and it won't be so hot.
And we'll just take it easy.
- It's a bad idea.
Who knows what the hell's out there?
- Who knows what the hell is here?
- Stop it, both of you!
Now I may just be your stepmother,
but I'm the adult and I
will decide what we do
and when we do it.
You guys got that?
- I got it.
You are just my stepmother.
- Never tried to be anything else, Kate.
Now, if you two can coexist for a moment,
I'm gonna go find a
ladies' room such as it is.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
I'll let you know what I
decide when I get back.
(wind howling)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
(suspenseful music)
(floor creaking)
(floor crashing)
(Patty screaming)
(Patty groans)
(Patty groans)
(Patty panting)
(tense music)
Matt!
Help!
I'm down here!
Matt!
Kate!
(Patty groans)
Ow.
Yeah.
You're okay.
(Patty groans)
(tense music)
(rocks tumbling)
Long way down.
- [Ethan] Can I have some more water?
(fly buzzing)
- That's the last of it.
We should be getting closer.
- Another hour?
- Maybe, two at the most.
Don't need to carry that anymore.
(canteen clangs)
- It's just me now.
Everybody's gone.
Rachel and Brian and Steve.
Oh my God.
No, no!
- No way that's not real.
- Patty should be back by now.
(tense music)
(Patty groans)
(Patty groans loudly)
- You can do this.
(Patty groans)
Piece of cake.
(Patty groans)
(Patty panting)
(step snaps)
(Patty groans loudly)
(suspenseful music)
No!
No.
(suspenseful music)
(Patty panting)
(door bangs)
- Patty?
- Patty!
- Patty, where are you?
- Patty!
- Shh, just a second.
- What happened to her?
- She didn't go far, okay?
Let's not panic.
Let's just check each of these buildings.
Patty, where are you?
- [Katie] Patty!
(Patty panting)
(Patty groaning)
(mysterious breathing)
(footsteps thudding)
(Patty groaning)
(vague rumbling)
- What the hell?
(mysterious breathing)
(mysterious rumbling)
(Patty groaning)
(dramatic music)
- Patty?
Patty!
(mysterious breathing)
(Patty groaning)
- Patty!
Patty?
(Patty groaning)
(Patty groaning)
(Patty grunting)
(Patty panting)
(tense music)
- We gotta be gettin' close.
- I bet we can see the
gas station from the top.
- Yeah, I bet we can.
- [Ethan] I'm goin' to see.
- Watch your step.
(footsteps thudding)
(tense drumming music)
Ethan!
(footsteps thudding)
Ethan?
Ethan?
Ethan!
(Jim panting)
Ethan!
(Patty panting)
- What the hell was that?
(Patty panting)
(Patty groaning)
(Patty gasping)
(suspenseful music)
(rocks tumbling)
(flashlight clicking)
(suspenseful music)
What?
What is this?
(suspenseful music)
(Patty panting)
Oh my God.
Oh, oh.
Oh my god.
This is Jim's.
(suspenseful music)
Oh.
Oh!
- Ethan!
Ethan!
(fly buzzing)
Ethan!
Ethan!
Oh no.
No, no, no.
- [Matt] Patty?
- Patty!
- Patty, where are you?
- Patty!
- Come on, let's try the other side.
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
(suspenseful music)
I thought I heard something.
- I didn't.
- Patty?
- [Patty] Down here, down here!
- She's somewhere in there.
(tense music)
(footsteps thudding)
- [Matt] Patty, where are you?
- [Patty] I'm here, I'm down here.
- Patty, are you okay?
- [Patty] Yes, I'm okay.
- I'm coming down.
- Matt, don't come down here.
- We need a rope.
You stay here.
I don't care, I'm coming down!
- [Patty] Matt!
Matt!
(thrilling music)
(car door bangs)
(thrilling music)
(suspenseful music)
(thrilling music)
(hood slams)
(thrilling music)
(mysterious breathing)
(wind howling)
(engine revving)
(tires screeching)
(tires rumbling)
(Jim gasps)
(tires thudding)
(tires rumbling)
(tense music)
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
(suspenseful music)
- Matt, Matt, just toss the rope.
There's something down here.
- I don't care, I'm coming down.
- Don't come down here!
(Matt grunts softly)
(mysterious breathing)
I don't know what it
is, but it's down there.
- An animal or what?
- I don't know.
Matt, you go first, I'll follow.
- The kid's up there, she's really scared.
You go.
(mysterious breathing)
(footsteps thudding)
- Hurry up, you guys!
- Matt, go now.
(Matt grunting)
(footsteps thudding)
(mysterious breathing)
- What was that?
(footsteps thudding)
(mysterious breathing)
- Hurry, Matt, hurry!
- It's coming, it's coming!
Shoot it, Patty, shoot it!
(gunshots blasting)
(horn honking)
- Dad, Dad!
Patty fell down a mine
shaft and Matt went down.
Something's there.
(Patty groans)
- I don't know if I got it.
I fired three shots and
it's stopped coming--
- What is it?
- I don't care what the hell's down there.
Let's just get out of
here, come on, come on!
- The car, where'd you find it?
- The desert.
- Where's Ethan?
- I don't know.
- You don't know, is he at the diner?
- We didn't make it to the diner.
(tires screeching)
(thrilling music)
- Where did you go?
- Dad, oh no.
(tires rumbling)
Dad, get us out of here.
- We're trapped!
- We're not trapped.
(thrilling music)
(Katie screams)
(wall crashes)
(wall crashes)
(wall slams)
- What was that?
What the hell was that?
(tires rumbling)
- What do you mean he disappeared?
You were in the desert.
You, you, you, you, you can see
for miles in every direction.
- He disappeared.
He just vanished, all right?
He went up this little hill.
He went down the other side.
I was right behind him.
When I got there, he was gone.
- What happened out there?
- I know we hiked in a
straight line, I know it.
We ended up right where we started.
- We have to look for him, Dad.
- We will.
All right, I think we get to the police--
- We can't leave him!
- I don't know where he is.
(sighs) Look, I'm sorry.
We'll get to a phone,
we'll call the sheriff.
They'll organize a search party.
It's gonna be dark in an hour.
They'll know how to cover the most ground.
- Dad, what's in that town?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
(tires rumbling)
(thrilling music)
(tires screeching)
(thrilling music)
(phone receiver bangs)
- I'm not saying...
- I need to use your phone.
- Use it all you want,
but the line's dead.
- Dad, you gotta come now.
(phone receiver bangs)
(thrilling music)
- Let's get outta here.
(wind howling)
(crickets chirping)
(owl hooting)
- Of course I understand you're concerns,
but I really think it's best
if we just wait until sunrise.
Then I'll have everybody out
there, and we'll find him.
- Well, why not now?
He's a 16-year-old boy.
- Okay, look, the desert is
a very big place, Mr. Henley.
Now the odds of finding him in
the dark are extremely slim.
Especially given the confusion you seem
to have over the exact location.
- No, I am not confused.
It's two or three miles west
of Weaver, I told you that.
- Okay, I am gonna take at face
value that you've got a boy
lost out there in the desert tonight,
but you gotta understand
what you sound like.
Now, first of all, there is no Weaver.
Not that I know of.
There is no town out
there where the people
walked out in 1948 and never returned.
- Look, I was just there.
My family and I, we were just in the town.
- Well see, there you go.
You keep talking about these
things you say attacked you,
but you didn't see them.
You can't even tell me whether
they were human beings.
- You wanna verify this with my wife?
She's across the street,
getting food for the kids.
Now come on.
We are not desert wackos.
- I can see that.
But I can also see that you've
had a very long exhausting
hike through a hot desert
in the middle of the day.
Come on, let's just stay focused, okay?
You've got your 16-year-old boy lost
out there in the desert.
I promise you at sunrise
I'll have men on horseback.
I'll have ATVs.
I'll have a fixed-wing aircraft.
Searching the desert,
looking for your boy.
And we'll find him, probably by 8:00 AM.
- Rich, could I borrow you for a sec?
- Okay.
I'll be right back. Mr. Henley.
- Hey, Mister.
Over here.
(men chattering)
(crickets chirping)
- [Server] Number 48, your order's ready.
- That's us.
I'll get it.
(suspenseful music)
- Something wrong?
(footsteps thudding)
- Nobody knows what's out there, okay?
But you saw what you saw.
- What, you mean the town?
- Yeah.
Well, it's part of it all.
- Part of what?
- Nobody knows.
You see, there's some people say that
some kind of neutron bomb
exploded there back in the '40s.
And there was all these people
didn't wanna be evacuated.
So they hid out in the
mines under the town,
and they got all this, this radiation.
What's out there now is their offspring.
All mutated and weird and barely human.
And the animals and monsters.
And then.
And there's some people
say that that ain't right.
That the town was built on some kind
of sacred Indian burial site,
and it's the spirits of the
dead coming back to haunt.
Supernatural.
You ever hear of Area 51?
- You mean that sci-fi, that
government research thing?
- That doesn't exist, doesn't exist.
Officially.
But I seen it.
They're doing some kind
of research out there
with ETs and aliens.
They've got a big hangar and
some kind of crashed spacecraft
and they salvaged some
of the bodies out of it.
- Wait a minute, you think it's aliens?
- I didn't, I didn't say that.
- Yeah, well, what are you saying?
- I'm saying you should
just get in your car
and drive outta here and don't look back.
Just go.
Go.
(crickets chirping)
- Just go.
It's her, I swear.
She's the girl in the video tape.
Patty, you go, please.
- I'll go.
(people chattering)
(suspenseful music)
- Help ya?
- Oh, we need some ketchup.
Was someone else working here before?
- Becca, she just got off, why?
- Nothing, my sister took the order.
She thought...
Nothing.
- There's a motel at
the end of Main Street.
I called, and there's a
room waiting for you there.
- Thanks.
- You try and get some sleep, okay?
Sunrise is at 5:45.
We'll be leaving then, and
well, if you'll be here,
you can ride with me.
- Listen, my son has photographs.
That town is there.
- Let's just try and find Ethan first.
You can go looking for your
ghost town after that, deal?
- 5:45.
- Yeah.
(crickets chirping)
(door bangs)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
- He was talking to me.
I wasn't talking to him.
I didn't say anything to him.
- Come on.
(keys jangling)
(cell door squeaking)
Let's go.
- I don't care what you think.
I know what I saw.
Dad, the girl from the video,
the one we thought was dead.
Well, she's not, she's
working at the drive-in.
- Here?
- Yeah, she made our food.
- Kate picked up the order
when our number was called.
The girl...
- [Katie] Was the same one on that tape.
- Where, which one is she?
- I already checked it
out, she's not there now.
She just got off work.
- But she was there, I saw her.
- Okay, okay, I believe you.
That's a good thing, right?
I mean, she's not dead.
- What about Ethan, are they going out?
- Sunrise, full-on search,
airplanes and everything.
- Dad, we can't just
leave him there all night.
If they're not gonna go,
then we have to go now.
- Oh, I hear you.
But we'd never find him at night,
and I'm not taking any of
you back out there, okay?
- We should call his parents.
- They're outta town till Sunday.
They drove up to San Francisco.
- Oh right, I forgot.
Well, then I'll leave a message for them
when we get to the motel.
- Well, let's hope we can leave
another one in the morning
that says everything's okay.
(engine revving)
(crickets chirping)
(somber music)
They okay?
- Yeah, sound asleep.
They're exhausted.
(Jim yawns)
You should come to bed too, Jim.
- No, I won't sleep.
I'm fine.
(lips smacking)
- No, you're not.
- I just keep thinking.
I keep seeing, Ethan.
I mean, I was right behind
him and then he was gone.
- I can't believe no one
knows about that town.
I can't believe that deputy doesn't know.
- Yeah, well, I got a feeling he does.
- First thing is to find Ethan
and get the hell out of here.
And then we talk to the FBI,
the state police, whoever.
How many cars did you see
out there in the desert?
- 20, maybe 30.
- There could be people
missing from every one of them.
- I know.
(match hisses)
(flame roaring)
- Come on, Lester.
(suspenseful music)
- Don't do this.
Don't do this.
- I better get going.
- Shoot me first.
For God's sakes.
You can't just leave me.
I'd do the same for you.
- Sorry, Lester.
(suspenseful music)
(engine revving)
- Please!
Please!
(fire crackling)
(eerie breathing)
(suspenseful music)
(crickets chirping)
(eerie breathing)
(suspenseful music)
(door creaking)
- Dad.
- You okay, hon?
- I think something
was just at the window.
I looked.
It was gone.
I don't wanna be here, Dad.
- Come here.
You know, we can't leave Ethan.
And they're gonna go searching
for him in the morning so.
- Dad take us out of this town.
I don't like it, it feels weird.
They're gonna search for
Ethan at sunrise, right?
Take us to the next town.
You can drive back in the
morning and search with them.
Just do this for me, please.
(tires rumbling)
(stoplight clicking)
Thanks, Dad.
- Yeah.
So where do you think?
- Windham, about an hour East.
- All right.
(suspenseful music)
- Looks like a cop, Dad.
- Well, we're going the speed limit.
What the hell does he want?
- Jim?
- There's no reason for
him to pull us over.
- You should stop, Dad.
- What are you doing?
(suspenseful music)
(crickets chirping)
(car door bangs)
(footsteps thudding)
(window buzzing)
- Didn't think you were gonna stop.
- Oh, sorry, I was fooling
with the radio and...
- Kinda late to be leaving town, isn't it?
- Oh, we're not leaving town.
Well, I'm just taking the
family over to Windham,
then I'm right back to
help with the search.
- Motels here aren't that bad, are they?
- Well, it's not really the...
- It's all right, but
you won't need to come
back in the morning for the search.
- Why's that?
- Because there's nobody
out there in that desert.
Not anymore.
We found him.
- Ethan, Ethan.
- Thank God you're all right.
- You okay, man?
- How you doing?
- I'm okay, really tired.
- Yeah, what happened out there?
You went over that hill.
I was there in a second,
and you were gone.
- I slipped, hit my head, I guess.
- Looks like you fell down a small ravine.
- Ravine?
I practically followed in his footsteps.
I would've seen that.
- Well, we call them blind falls.
You don't see them till you in them.
You can walk right by
one and not even know it.
- Ethan, How's your head now?
- It's okay, a little sore.
- I had a paramedic check him out.
He's a little tired, a little dehydrated.
- How'd you find him?
- Well, like I said, I wasn't planning on
mounting a search until the morning,
but I sent a couple of men out in ATVs,
just in case we got lucky.
- Can we go now?
- Well, we sure don't
want you around here.
- Let's go back to the motel,
we're all pretty tired.
- Yeah, let's go, come on.
(door creaking)
(crickets chirping)
Can't thank you enough,
you guys did a great job.
- Like I said, we just got lucky.
Mr. Henley, about that
town you talked about,
if you want to go out in the
morning, I'd like to see it.
- Oh, I got a feeling my
family wants to get home.
Next time through.
Thanks again.
- Well, that's what we're here for.
You have a safe trip now.
(somber music)
- Well guys, push on to
Windham or back to the motel?
- We already have a room.
I am still not sure why we left the hotel
in the first place.
- Kate?
- I don't wanna be in this
town, anywhere near this town.
Can we just go?
- Ethan?
- Whatever.
(somber music)
(engine humming)
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
- First thing in the morning,
we go to a one-hour place and
get Matt's film developed.
- Right.
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
- Jim, if you were walking
right behind Ethan,
wouldn't you have seen where he fell?
- There was no ravine.
And something happened to Ethan,
but what he thinks
happened to him, didn't.
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
- Matt, don't you wanna try
and get some sleep, honey?
- I can't.
My mind is just...
What was in that mine shaft?
Where are the people from
those cars in the desert?
What happened to them?
- Matt, listen.
Tomorrow we'll get your film developed,
and then we'll have...
- Jim!
(body thudding)
(car tumbling)
(wind howling)
(footsteps thudding)
(people groaning)
- [Jim] You okay?
What's out there?
- No, no, no!
- No!
- No, no, no!
(Katie screaming)
(metal squeaking)
(wind howling)
(paper rustling)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(tense music)
(crow cawing)
(bicycle wheels squeaking)
(suspenseful music)
(motorcycle engines humming)
(suspenseful music)
(basketball thumping)
(motorcycle engines humming)
(camera clicking)
(suspenseful music)
(utensils clanging)
(coffee splashing)
- Thanks.
- Welcome.
- So how are the kids?
- Good, everybody's good.
(suspenseful music)
(mouth spitting)
Need some menus?
(suspenseful music)
- Nice bike.
(crow cawing)
(crow cawing)
(wings flapping)
(crow cawing)
There you go.
That's it.
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(thrilling music)
(camera clicking)
(thrilling music)
(camera clicking)
(crow cawing)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(wind howling)
(thrilling music)
(upbeat Multicom jingle)
(wind howling)
(light whooshing)
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(light creaking)
(paper rustling)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(tense music)
(door creaking)
(tense music)
(door creaking)
(tense music)
(footsteps thudding)
(loud crashing)
(woman panting)
(door slamming)
(tense music)
(woman whimpering)
(palm thudding)
(door rattling)
- No, no!
No, please!
No, don't!
No! (screams)
(wings flapping)
(somber music)
- I haven't seen anything in an hour.
- What's the trip computer say, Dad?
- 100 miles.
- No problem, there's gas in less than 50.
(tires rumbling)
(fly buzzing)
(tumbleweed rustling)
(fly buzzing)
(tense music)
(tires rumbling)
(car doors bang)
- Can you fill it with premium, please?
- Self serve, no premium.
Hey, I'd like one of these.
What do they cost?
- Well, they're not cheap.
- About as big as my trailer
and a hell of a lot nicer.
(flies buzzing)
(tense music)
- You can eat it, thanks.
- You're gonna try it?
- Yeah.
- What do you think?
Cow?
- Maybe like some geriatric cow.
- Roadkill, three days old.
- [Matt] Disgusting.
- [Patty] All right, you
guys, you don't like it,
don't eat it.
We've got stuff in the car.
Hey.
- Is there something wrong with the food?
- No, no, the food's fine.
We just weren't that hungry.
Can we have the check?
- Sure.
(fly buzzing)
- So where exactly is this ghost town?
- Mining town, I don't even
know if it's still there.
Check it out.
Ethan's dad had this map
from the '40s or something,
and the town Weaver is on the old map,
but it's not on any of the new ones.
- Could be really cool.
- Don't you have enough pictures
of falling down buildings
and rusty junk?
- Come on, Dad, wasn't that the deal?
We'd all do the whole
family adventure thing,
but if any of us want a
side trip, we'd do it.
And it looks like the turnoff's
only a couple miles from here.
- So how far is this motel tonight?
- About 200 miles.
I've gotta check in with the office.
So you guys figure it out,
I'm with you either way.
- That's what, three hours?
You want to get there four
o'clock in the afternoon
and then what, we watch TV?
- I wanna swim.
- You'll swim, just later.
Come on, Dad.
We're never gonna be here again.
- We'll see.
(soft rock music on radio)
There's supposedly an old
mining town called Weaver,
it's up in the hills
not too far from here.
You ever heard of it?
- Billy, you know anything
about a town called Weaver?
- Can't help you there, Mister.
- Yeah, well, it's on this old map--
- Never heard of it.
How was your meal?
- Great.
It was great.
Keep the change.
(tense music)
- [Patty] No, I didn't expect
that from the discounts.
No.
Is Arthur happy with his tour schedule?
Mm-hmm.
- She's always on the phone, Dad.
- Well, she is now.
She's got two books coming out next week.
- Maybe she should have stayed home.
- Listen, Katie.
Patty's a member of the family now.
She's put a lot of effort
into making this work,
including taking off at a bad time.
So cut her a little slack, will ya?
- Sorry.
- That's all right.
Excuse me.
We're trying to get to
Weaver, a little mining town.
We got a map says there a turnoff
a couple miles down the road.
- Weaver?
Mm, I don't know any Weaver.
- Oh.
- Want some advice?
Stay on the pavement.
- What's that mean?
- What I said.
- Right.
Thanks.
(tense music)
(engine humming)
- Man, and she wondered why
we weren't eating the food.
Burnt enough for ya 'cause we can
incinerate that puppy a little more?
- They probably cruise
the highway every morning
looking for the lunch special.
- Yeah, but if it's really flattened,
it's hard to get the hair out.
- Oh, no.
Oh, gross.
Oh, gross.
That place was weird.
Close encounter of the weird kind.
- Keep your eye out, Dad.
Should be right up here somewhere.
- Wow, looks like there's
a road right up here.
(suspenseful music)
- How far is this ruin supposed to be?
- According to the map, it
should be just in those hills.
About 35 miles.
- 35 Miles?
You really wanna photograph this place?
- I'm psyched.
- Well.
- Well, let's go to Weaver.
- [Matt] All right.
Patty rocks!
- Here we go.
(tense music)
(tires rumbling)
(tense music)
- [Matt] Hey, check it out.
- Looks like an old plane.
- Can we go look?
- No problem.
(engine humming)
(tense music)
- How long has this been here, Dad?
- I don't know, long time.
From the '60s, maybe.
(camera clicking)
- It's amazing.
Probably ran out of gas.
- You don't just nose in like
this if you run outta gas.
You glide it in, try to land it.
(camera clicking)
- It's weird.
If it came straight in,
it'd be in 1000 pieces.
- Maybe it was nighttime and
their instruments were broke.
They didn't even know they
were going down until it hit.
(horn honking)
- [Katie] Come on, guys, let's go.
- You got enough pictures, Matt?
- Yeah, this is so cool.
It's like one second you're alive,
and then wham, you're toast.
- Not so cool if you're the toast.
(horn honking)
Oh, come on, Matt.
Let's go.
- I bet it didn't even hurt.
(tense music)
(camera clicking)
(tense music)
- I just wanna make
sure they hold the room.
- I wonder if this mining town exists,
and we look around for about an hour,
we ought to make the
motel around nine o'clock.
- Okay.
- No, completely dead.
Must be the mountains.
- Hey, look at this.
We're heading East, right?
- Yeah.
- A couple miles ago, the compass
said we were heading East.
Now it says we're heading South.
We haven't changed direction.
(dash beeping)
Oh, there we go.
(dash beeping)
Oops, and now it dies all together.
Doo, doo
- You are entering a world
where compasses go crazy.
- Airplanes fall from the sky.
Cell phones don't work.
(Patty laughs)
A world where--
- Morons are still morons.
(tense music)
(tires screeching)
- Wow.
- Oh, this is way cool.
- I can't believe no one back
at the diner knew about this.
- Maybe they did.
- Yeah, they don't want
tourists ripping it off.
- Well, I didn't see any signs.
Nothing that said "No trespassing."
- Wow.
- Wow.
(car doors bang)
- Maybe they didn't know about it.
I mean, it's not on any of the new maps.
- That's hard to believe.
- Sure doesn't look like
anybody's been here.
- Why would everyone just leave?
- This whole mountain
looks like an old mine.
- Hey guys, come look at this.
What's up with this?
- Looks like they just walked
away and never came back.
- Hey, a manual typewriter.
Oh, I haven't seen one
of these in a while.
- Hey Ethan, why don't
you take some of this
and see if anything happens?
- I don't think so.
- You sure?
- Yeah, but you go right ahead.
- Don't even joke, guys.
- Hey, if anyone's hungry,
I think they're still serving next door.
- [Matt] Oh, this is too weird.
- Remember we went to Bodie.
Looks a lot like this.
Old mining town and
furniture was still out.
Kitchen, dishes everywhere.
- But that was a state park.
They have Rangers living there
to make sure nothing is disturbed.
This calendar is from 1948.
- That was 54 years ago.
- I thought it was like
1800s or something.
- Well, that's when it was built,
but electric lighting, genius.
- So after lunch one
day, everyone just left?
- Hey Dad, I'm gonna take
some pictures over here, okay?
- Yeah, just be careful, will ya?
The floor in here is not that stable.
(suspenseful music)
(floor creaking)
(door creaking)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(suspenseful music)
Whoa.
(camera clicking)
(dramatic music)
(Matt gasps)
- Chill.
- You chill, look at this thing.
- Yow.
That's sick, what is it?
- I don't know, skin of something.
- Yeah, but what?
- Don't do that!
Just leave it alone, okay?
- Look how they painted on it and stuff.
- Let's just get outta here.
(suspenseful music)
(door creaking)
- Well, it's time to go anyway,
so let's not worry about it, okay?
- But that was a skin, Dad.
And it was like put there on purpose.
- I saw a movie where they
had weird stuff like bones
in a house and then a guy
with a chainsaw, and he--
- Ethan.
- Sorry.
(car doors bang)
(engine stalling)
Very funny, Dad.
- I'm not joking, Matt.
(engine stalling)
Huh.
Lights are off, transmission's in park.
Well, let's take a look.
- Looks like an engine.
- Yeah, that would be my guess too.
- Do you know what the problem is?
- Mm-hmm.
Car won't start.
- Tell me we're not
spending the night here.
- [Jim] Matt, could you
pass me the cheese here?
- [Patty] This wasn't so bad.
It worked out pretty good.
- What exactly is vapor lock, Dad?
- Well, it's...
Well, it's a kind of heat car thing.
- When you drive for a
while, like we did today,
and then stop, vapor can
accumulate in the fuel line.
Yeah, the only thing you can
do is wait until it dissipates.
- Right.
Hopefully it'll start up
first thing in the morning.
- It's that word that worries me.
- What word?
- Hopefully.
- How do you know about
all that stuff, Patty?
- Hmm, the great thing
about being an editor.
We put out the Fool's Guide To Car Repair.
I've had to read 'em all.
- (chuckles) Cool.
(owl hooting)
- Hey, look what I found.
This was behind a box, it's all dirty.
That'll play in ours?
- Yeah, let's take a look.
- [Boy] All right.
- [Girl] We don't even have enough room.
- Okay.
Okay.
(people chattering)
(people cheering)
(static buzzing)
- [Ethan] Hey, that's
the place we stopped.
- [Patty] There's our waitress.
- Hey that store's here.
- Uh huh.
(woman laughs)
- That was a mirror.
- I know, it's great.
- Can you believe this?
This is wild.
(suspenseful music)
(people chattering)
Brian's been missing for over an hour.
We've been looking and we keep looking,
but the car won't start
and I don't know why.
(static buzzing)
It's just me now.
Everybody's gone.
Rachel and Brian and Steve.
Oh my God.
No, no!
(suspenseful music)
(camera thuds)
- We gotta get out of here.
- [Jim] What do you think?
(people chattering)
(dramatic music)
(crickets chirping)
(crow cawing)
- [Matt] Of course it's
real, it's on tape.
- It could just be a joke.
The one guy that was missing,
maybe he's playing a
practical joke on the others.
Trying to scare them.
- They're dead.
- I don't think--
- You don't know.
What do you know?
- Cut it out, Katie.
Don't use that tone of voice.
- Fine, sorry.
- That looked plenty real to me.
And something was after her.
- How do we know it's not still here?
- Yeah.
- All right, everybody just cool it, okay?
Now we don't know that anything's here,
and we don't know what that tape is.
- Well, what could it be?
- Well, it could be a student film.
Or like Patty said, it
could be a practical joke
that somebody left behind.
I mean, there's any number
of explanations for it.
It's a...
Well look, whatever it is,
what happened on that tape
happened a long time ago.
- Absolutely, look at this.
How long do you think this
has been sitting here?
One, two years?
Even longer.
- That's right, and there's no sign
anybody's been in this town.
There's not a footprint out
there, not a tire track.
There's no trash blowing
around in the street.
So I don't want you guys whipping yourself
up over nothing, okay?
All right, so let's lay our
sleeping bags out on the floor,
get a good night's sleep,
and tomorrow morning
we'll be outta here, okay?
Get to it, come on.
- This is bad, man.
I don't care what your Dad says.
- You sound scared.
You scared?
- Hell no.
(crickets chirping)
- I didn't know you had a gun.
- Yeah, well, I keep it in the garage.
I only brought it along 'cause, well,
in case we broke down or something and--
- You still should have told me.
- Right, sorry.
- Except right about now, I
wouldn't argue against it.
That tape.
Pretty scary.
- Yeah.
- I don't think that girl was acting.
- Well, if she was, she's really good.
- I can't imagine that
whoever was after them
would still be here.
- No.
No, not after so much time.
- Then we have nothing to worry about.
- Right.
- So you went to get the gun because?
- I hate to be wrong.
(trunk door slams)
Let's go.
(somber music)
I don't know, sometimes I don't get it.
- I know, but Matt's older.
I think he just hides it better.
- Yeah, well, Katie doesn't.
But she's such a sweet kid.
Where does that attitude come from?
- From being 12?
It's hard enough when your mom
dies and your dad remarries.
It's tough.
- That was five years ago.
I don't know.
I was sort of hoping that
this trip would be a,
I don't know.
- A bonding thing?
- Yeah, you know.
New family creates new memories.
- Oh, well, we're definitely doing that.
- Oh no.
I'll do it.
- No, just leave it.
It's okay, really.
(crickets chirping)
(owl hooting)
(mysterious creaking)
(distant banging)
(distant banging)
(suspenseful music)
(distant banging)
(switch clicking)
(steps creaking)
(suspenseful music)
(loud banging)
(rapid banging)
(suspenseful music)
(rapid banging)
(loud banging)
(suspenseful music)
(door creaking)
(loud banging)
(suspenseful music)
(loud banging)
(Jim sighs)
(owl screeches)
(Jim screams)
- Dad!
- Jim!
- Dad!
- Dad!
- Dad!
- What's up there?
- What was that?
- Dad!
- Where's your Dad?
- Okay, okay, it's me.
It's me, it's me, everything's okay.
It's me, it's me, it's just me.
Everything's okay.
- I don't think.
- No, no, it's nothing up there.
Nothing to be afraid of.
Nothing to be scared of.
- You were scared.
- Well, I heard this noise.
I went up there to check it out.
There's nothing.
It's just a wind blowing
against the windows.
- Why'd you yell?
- Well, it was just this, this owl.
It came out, it kind of
surprised me, that's all.
Look, everything's all right.
Just get back in your bags now.
Just go back to bed, come on.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sure.
Come on, everything's fine.
It's all right.
Go back to sleep, huh?
(crickets chirping)
(suspenseful music)
(mysterious panting)
(footsteps thudding)
(dramatic music)
(mysterious breathing)
(flashlight switch clicks)
(mysterious breathing)
(birds chirping)
(somber music)
- [Jim] You can have anything you want.
- I want pancakes.
Any place but that diner.
- Well, if you can wait until
the next town, so can I.
- Why are you guys even packing?
- 'Cause we're outta here.
- If the car starts.
- Yeah, think positively, Katie.
(footsteps thudding)
- Dad, your car's gone.
- I don't get it, I
would've heard something.
- Where are the keys?
(keys jangling)
(somber music)
(somber music)
Somebody stole the car and that's it.
- I don't believe it.
They must have followed us here
and then somehow disabled the car
while we were looking around.
- So why didn't we hear
the car start last night?
- I don't think they started it.
No, I think they slipped it into neutral
and then pushed it down
the street onto a trailer.
It's probably halfway to Mexico by now.
- We're not gonna be able to
walk out of here as a group.
- I know.
Matt, I want you to stay
here with Patty and Kate.
Ethan, you'll come with me, is that okay?
- That's cool.
- Dad, that gas station
must be 35 miles back.
- Well, that's if you go back by the road,
but if we cut straight across the desert,
should be more like 20.
- 20's nothing.
- Yeah, we oughta be able to
get there in six, seven hours.
- This is a bad idea.
Another bad idea.
We should stick together,
everybody hike out.
- Hon, 20 miles is a long way.
Now if someone can't make it,
then we're all in trouble.
Ethan and I ought to be able
to go faster than the group.
- We're gonna be skinned
and nailed to the wall,
and nobody's ever gonna know.
- Hey sweetie, whoever was here last night
was here for the car, not for us.
Now they're gone.
- Katie, nothing bad's gonna happen.
Promise.
And your dad will be
back before you know it.
- Before you know it.
The water bottles still inside?
- Yeah.
- I don't anticipate any trouble.
If I did, I wouldn't leave you here.
- I want you to leave the gun.
- You hate guns.
You ever use one?
- Yeah.
My dad used to take me to the range.
I don't like guns, but I can shoot.
Trust me.
- What else don't I know?
- Oh.
Well...
lots.
I know it's our best option,
but I don't like you going off.
So.
Get back fast, okay?
- Okay.
(lips smacking)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
- Yeah, happened about five years ago.
September.
Listen, if you want to take a break,
we can stop any time, huh?
- It's okay.
I didn't know Matt then.
He talks about her a lot though.
- Yeah?
- Just how great his mom was
and how he misses her and stuff.
He never says how she died.
- Did you ever ask him?
- He just said she got sick.
- It was an aneurysm.
It happened really quick.
- Oh, sorry about that, Mr. A...
- Oh, eh.
Don't move.
- Oh, man.
- No, no, just don't move.
Just don't move a muscle, all right?
- Just get it away from me.
- Matt, just don't talk.
- No, ah!
(snake thumps)
I got bit, I got bit! (groans)
- My batteries are dead.
- Duh, you only use them 24/7.
Are we just gonna sit here all day?
The fact is, if someone's after us,
they could get us just
as good sitting inside,
as they could walking around outside.
- But Dad said there
was no one here anyway.
- We stick together, all right?
- It hurts.
It really hurts.
I don't wanna die, please.
- You're not gonna die.
You weren't bitten.
- Yeah, I was.
- This is your lucky day.
Got your wallet.
(tense music)
- Some of these are really old.
This one's from 1850.
- Great, half the town.
Listen.
"Poorly lived and poorly died.
"Poorly buried and no one cried."
- Cool.
Let me get that.
People didn't live very long back then.
Some of these guys were dead in their 20s.
- Mm-hmm.
Well, mining was dangerous work.
(tense music)
(fly buzzing)
(suspenseful music)
- Hey guys, you gotta see this.
(footsteps thudding)
- I think Dad might have
been wrong about that tape.
- Come on, let's go.
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
- It was weird.
Those colors, it wasn't a rattlesnake.
- No.
- What do you think it was?
- I don't know, I never
seen anything like it.
- What's that?
Is that a hallucination?
- I don't think so.
- Well, what is it?
- It's not a Mirage.
We're too close.
Come on.
- Dad shouldn't have left us.
- [Matt] Somebody killed those people,
and it wasn't too long ago.
- [Patty] Matt, we don't know
that anybody killed anybody.
- Yeah, we do.
It was on tape.
I'm not a kid, Patty.
- [Patty] I'm not saying you are.
- Then let's not pretend
that everything's cool
'cause it's not.
- It's so not.
- Okay, but a grave does not mean murder.
- Hey, if nobody's here, no problem.
- And that's our assumption.
We haven't seen or heard
anything here, right?
We have no reason to think
other than being spooked
by some graves that somebody else is here.
- Well, what's the plan
if we're not alone?
- Your Dad didn't leave
us without protection.
- Whoa.
- Now I don't think we're gonna need it.
But if we do, we'll be glad we have it.
- You sure?
- Nah, it's glass.
- Why'd somebody put
glass out in the desert?
- Come on.
- Ground Zero.
Site of the first successful detonation
of a neutron device.
September 21, 1948.
Atomic Energy Commission.
That like an atomic bomb?
- Sort of.
- Wouldn't it have
leveled that whole town?
- No, neutron bomb was a radiation device.
It was designed to kill people,
leave the building's standing.
- No way.
- Yeah.
Yeah, it was massive amounts of radiation.
They never used it.
- So where's this glass come from?
- Well, we're standing right
where the bomb exploded.
Ground zero.
Intense heat from the
detonation must have,
must have turned the sand into glass.
- Wow.
Are we like getting radiated now?
- No, that was over 50 years ago.
- You think that's what
killed everybody in the town?
- No, I'm sure they were evacuated.
I just can't figure out why
they left so much stuff behind.
Come on, we've been
walking about three hours.
We gotta make time, let's go.
- No, no.
He said he'd be back in
the afternoon sometime.
- He should be back by now.
- He's only been gone five hours.
- If he's not back by
sundown, we walk back out.
Straight down the road to the diner.
- That's 35 miles.
- But it will be dark,
and it won't be so hot.
And we'll just take it easy.
- It's a bad idea.
Who knows what the hell's out there?
- Who knows what the hell is here?
- Stop it, both of you!
Now I may just be your stepmother,
but I'm the adult and I
will decide what we do
and when we do it.
You guys got that?
- I got it.
You are just my stepmother.
- Never tried to be anything else, Kate.
Now, if you two can coexist for a moment,
I'm gonna go find a
ladies' room such as it is.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
I'll let you know what I
decide when I get back.
(wind howling)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
(suspenseful music)
(floor creaking)
(floor crashing)
(Patty screaming)
(Patty groans)
(Patty groans)
(Patty panting)
(tense music)
Matt!
Help!
I'm down here!
Matt!
Kate!
(Patty groans)
Ow.
Yeah.
You're okay.
(Patty groans)
(tense music)
(rocks tumbling)
Long way down.
- [Ethan] Can I have some more water?
(fly buzzing)
- That's the last of it.
We should be getting closer.
- Another hour?
- Maybe, two at the most.
Don't need to carry that anymore.
(canteen clangs)
- It's just me now.
Everybody's gone.
Rachel and Brian and Steve.
Oh my God.
No, no!
- No way that's not real.
- Patty should be back by now.
(tense music)
(Patty groans)
(Patty groans loudly)
- You can do this.
(Patty groans)
Piece of cake.
(Patty groans)
(Patty panting)
(step snaps)
(Patty groans loudly)
(suspenseful music)
No!
No.
(suspenseful music)
(Patty panting)
(door bangs)
- Patty?
- Patty!
- Patty, where are you?
- Patty!
- Shh, just a second.
- What happened to her?
- She didn't go far, okay?
Let's not panic.
Let's just check each of these buildings.
Patty, where are you?
- [Katie] Patty!
(Patty panting)
(Patty groaning)
(mysterious breathing)
(footsteps thudding)
(Patty groaning)
(vague rumbling)
- What the hell?
(mysterious breathing)
(mysterious rumbling)
(Patty groaning)
(dramatic music)
- Patty?
Patty!
(mysterious breathing)
(Patty groaning)
- Patty!
Patty?
(Patty groaning)
(Patty groaning)
(Patty grunting)
(Patty panting)
(tense music)
- We gotta be gettin' close.
- I bet we can see the
gas station from the top.
- Yeah, I bet we can.
- [Ethan] I'm goin' to see.
- Watch your step.
(footsteps thudding)
(tense drumming music)
Ethan!
(footsteps thudding)
Ethan?
Ethan?
Ethan!
(Jim panting)
Ethan!
(Patty panting)
- What the hell was that?
(Patty panting)
(Patty groaning)
(Patty gasping)
(suspenseful music)
(rocks tumbling)
(flashlight clicking)
(suspenseful music)
What?
What is this?
(suspenseful music)
(Patty panting)
Oh my God.
Oh, oh.
Oh my god.
This is Jim's.
(suspenseful music)
Oh.
Oh!
- Ethan!
Ethan!
(fly buzzing)
Ethan!
Ethan!
Oh no.
No, no, no.
- [Matt] Patty?
- Patty!
- Patty, where are you?
- Patty!
- Come on, let's try the other side.
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
(suspenseful music)
I thought I heard something.
- I didn't.
- Patty?
- [Patty] Down here, down here!
- She's somewhere in there.
(tense music)
(footsteps thudding)
- [Matt] Patty, where are you?
- [Patty] I'm here, I'm down here.
- Patty, are you okay?
- [Patty] Yes, I'm okay.
- I'm coming down.
- Matt, don't come down here.
- We need a rope.
You stay here.
I don't care, I'm coming down!
- [Patty] Matt!
Matt!
(thrilling music)
(car door bangs)
(thrilling music)
(suspenseful music)
(thrilling music)
(hood slams)
(thrilling music)
(mysterious breathing)
(wind howling)
(engine revving)
(tires screeching)
(tires rumbling)
(Jim gasps)
(tires thudding)
(tires rumbling)
(tense music)
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
(suspenseful music)
- Matt, Matt, just toss the rope.
There's something down here.
- I don't care, I'm coming down.
- Don't come down here!
(Matt grunts softly)
(mysterious breathing)
I don't know what it
is, but it's down there.
- An animal or what?
- I don't know.
Matt, you go first, I'll follow.
- The kid's up there, she's really scared.
You go.
(mysterious breathing)
(footsteps thudding)
- Hurry up, you guys!
- Matt, go now.
(Matt grunting)
(footsteps thudding)
(mysterious breathing)
- What was that?
(footsteps thudding)
(mysterious breathing)
- Hurry, Matt, hurry!
- It's coming, it's coming!
Shoot it, Patty, shoot it!
(gunshots blasting)
(horn honking)
- Dad, Dad!
Patty fell down a mine
shaft and Matt went down.
Something's there.
(Patty groans)
- I don't know if I got it.
I fired three shots and
it's stopped coming--
- What is it?
- I don't care what the hell's down there.
Let's just get out of
here, come on, come on!
- The car, where'd you find it?
- The desert.
- Where's Ethan?
- I don't know.
- You don't know, is he at the diner?
- We didn't make it to the diner.
(tires screeching)
(thrilling music)
- Where did you go?
- Dad, oh no.
(tires rumbling)
Dad, get us out of here.
- We're trapped!
- We're not trapped.
(thrilling music)
(Katie screams)
(wall crashes)
(wall crashes)
(wall slams)
- What was that?
What the hell was that?
(tires rumbling)
- What do you mean he disappeared?
You were in the desert.
You, you, you, you, you can see
for miles in every direction.
- He disappeared.
He just vanished, all right?
He went up this little hill.
He went down the other side.
I was right behind him.
When I got there, he was gone.
- What happened out there?
- I know we hiked in a
straight line, I know it.
We ended up right where we started.
- We have to look for him, Dad.
- We will.
All right, I think we get to the police--
- We can't leave him!
- I don't know where he is.
(sighs) Look, I'm sorry.
We'll get to a phone,
we'll call the sheriff.
They'll organize a search party.
It's gonna be dark in an hour.
They'll know how to cover the most ground.
- Dad, what's in that town?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
(tires rumbling)
(thrilling music)
(tires screeching)
(thrilling music)
(phone receiver bangs)
- I'm not saying...
- I need to use your phone.
- Use it all you want,
but the line's dead.
- Dad, you gotta come now.
(phone receiver bangs)
(thrilling music)
- Let's get outta here.
(wind howling)
(crickets chirping)
(owl hooting)
- Of course I understand you're concerns,
but I really think it's best
if we just wait until sunrise.
Then I'll have everybody out
there, and we'll find him.
- Well, why not now?
He's a 16-year-old boy.
- Okay, look, the desert is
a very big place, Mr. Henley.
Now the odds of finding him in
the dark are extremely slim.
Especially given the confusion you seem
to have over the exact location.
- No, I am not confused.
It's two or three miles west
of Weaver, I told you that.
- Okay, I am gonna take at face
value that you've got a boy
lost out there in the desert tonight,
but you gotta understand
what you sound like.
Now, first of all, there is no Weaver.
Not that I know of.
There is no town out
there where the people
walked out in 1948 and never returned.
- Look, I was just there.
My family and I, we were just in the town.
- Well see, there you go.
You keep talking about these
things you say attacked you,
but you didn't see them.
You can't even tell me whether
they were human beings.
- You wanna verify this with my wife?
She's across the street,
getting food for the kids.
Now come on.
We are not desert wackos.
- I can see that.
But I can also see that you've
had a very long exhausting
hike through a hot desert
in the middle of the day.
Come on, let's just stay focused, okay?
You've got your 16-year-old boy lost
out there in the desert.
I promise you at sunrise
I'll have men on horseback.
I'll have ATVs.
I'll have a fixed-wing aircraft.
Searching the desert,
looking for your boy.
And we'll find him, probably by 8:00 AM.
- Rich, could I borrow you for a sec?
- Okay.
I'll be right back. Mr. Henley.
- Hey, Mister.
Over here.
(men chattering)
(crickets chirping)
- [Server] Number 48, your order's ready.
- That's us.
I'll get it.
(suspenseful music)
- Something wrong?
(footsteps thudding)
- Nobody knows what's out there, okay?
But you saw what you saw.
- What, you mean the town?
- Yeah.
Well, it's part of it all.
- Part of what?
- Nobody knows.
You see, there's some people say that
some kind of neutron bomb
exploded there back in the '40s.
And there was all these people
didn't wanna be evacuated.
So they hid out in the
mines under the town,
and they got all this, this radiation.
What's out there now is their offspring.
All mutated and weird and barely human.
And the animals and monsters.
And then.
And there's some people
say that that ain't right.
That the town was built on some kind
of sacred Indian burial site,
and it's the spirits of the
dead coming back to haunt.
Supernatural.
You ever hear of Area 51?
- You mean that sci-fi, that
government research thing?
- That doesn't exist, doesn't exist.
Officially.
But I seen it.
They're doing some kind
of research out there
with ETs and aliens.
They've got a big hangar and
some kind of crashed spacecraft
and they salvaged some
of the bodies out of it.
- Wait a minute, you think it's aliens?
- I didn't, I didn't say that.
- Yeah, well, what are you saying?
- I'm saying you should
just get in your car
and drive outta here and don't look back.
Just go.
Go.
(crickets chirping)
- Just go.
It's her, I swear.
She's the girl in the video tape.
Patty, you go, please.
- I'll go.
(people chattering)
(suspenseful music)
- Help ya?
- Oh, we need some ketchup.
Was someone else working here before?
- Becca, she just got off, why?
- Nothing, my sister took the order.
She thought...
Nothing.
- There's a motel at
the end of Main Street.
I called, and there's a
room waiting for you there.
- Thanks.
- You try and get some sleep, okay?
Sunrise is at 5:45.
We'll be leaving then, and
well, if you'll be here,
you can ride with me.
- Listen, my son has photographs.
That town is there.
- Let's just try and find Ethan first.
You can go looking for your
ghost town after that, deal?
- 5:45.
- Yeah.
(crickets chirping)
(door bangs)
(suspenseful music)
(footsteps thudding)
- He was talking to me.
I wasn't talking to him.
I didn't say anything to him.
- Come on.
(keys jangling)
(cell door squeaking)
Let's go.
- I don't care what you think.
I know what I saw.
Dad, the girl from the video,
the one we thought was dead.
Well, she's not, she's
working at the drive-in.
- Here?
- Yeah, she made our food.
- Kate picked up the order
when our number was called.
The girl...
- [Katie] Was the same one on that tape.
- Where, which one is she?
- I already checked it
out, she's not there now.
She just got off work.
- But she was there, I saw her.
- Okay, okay, I believe you.
That's a good thing, right?
I mean, she's not dead.
- What about Ethan, are they going out?
- Sunrise, full-on search,
airplanes and everything.
- Dad, we can't just
leave him there all night.
If they're not gonna go,
then we have to go now.
- Oh, I hear you.
But we'd never find him at night,
and I'm not taking any of
you back out there, okay?
- We should call his parents.
- They're outta town till Sunday.
They drove up to San Francisco.
- Oh right, I forgot.
Well, then I'll leave a message for them
when we get to the motel.
- Well, let's hope we can leave
another one in the morning
that says everything's okay.
(engine revving)
(crickets chirping)
(somber music)
They okay?
- Yeah, sound asleep.
They're exhausted.
(Jim yawns)
You should come to bed too, Jim.
- No, I won't sleep.
I'm fine.
(lips smacking)
- No, you're not.
- I just keep thinking.
I keep seeing, Ethan.
I mean, I was right behind
him and then he was gone.
- I can't believe no one
knows about that town.
I can't believe that deputy doesn't know.
- Yeah, well, I got a feeling he does.
- First thing is to find Ethan
and get the hell out of here.
And then we talk to the FBI,
the state police, whoever.
How many cars did you see
out there in the desert?
- 20, maybe 30.
- There could be people
missing from every one of them.
- I know.
(match hisses)
(flame roaring)
- Come on, Lester.
(suspenseful music)
- Don't do this.
Don't do this.
- I better get going.
- Shoot me first.
For God's sakes.
You can't just leave me.
I'd do the same for you.
- Sorry, Lester.
(suspenseful music)
(engine revving)
- Please!
Please!
(fire crackling)
(eerie breathing)
(suspenseful music)
(crickets chirping)
(eerie breathing)
(suspenseful music)
(door creaking)
- Dad.
- You okay, hon?
- I think something
was just at the window.
I looked.
It was gone.
I don't wanna be here, Dad.
- Come here.
You know, we can't leave Ethan.
And they're gonna go searching
for him in the morning so.
- Dad take us out of this town.
I don't like it, it feels weird.
They're gonna search for
Ethan at sunrise, right?
Take us to the next town.
You can drive back in the
morning and search with them.
Just do this for me, please.
(tires rumbling)
(stoplight clicking)
Thanks, Dad.
- Yeah.
So where do you think?
- Windham, about an hour East.
- All right.
(suspenseful music)
- Looks like a cop, Dad.
- Well, we're going the speed limit.
What the hell does he want?
- Jim?
- There's no reason for
him to pull us over.
- You should stop, Dad.
- What are you doing?
(suspenseful music)
(crickets chirping)
(car door bangs)
(footsteps thudding)
(window buzzing)
- Didn't think you were gonna stop.
- Oh, sorry, I was fooling
with the radio and...
- Kinda late to be leaving town, isn't it?
- Oh, we're not leaving town.
Well, I'm just taking the
family over to Windham,
then I'm right back to
help with the search.
- Motels here aren't that bad, are they?
- Well, it's not really the...
- It's all right, but
you won't need to come
back in the morning for the search.
- Why's that?
- Because there's nobody
out there in that desert.
Not anymore.
We found him.
- Ethan, Ethan.
- Thank God you're all right.
- You okay, man?
- How you doing?
- I'm okay, really tired.
- Yeah, what happened out there?
You went over that hill.
I was there in a second,
and you were gone.
- I slipped, hit my head, I guess.
- Looks like you fell down a small ravine.
- Ravine?
I practically followed in his footsteps.
I would've seen that.
- Well, we call them blind falls.
You don't see them till you in them.
You can walk right by
one and not even know it.
- Ethan, How's your head now?
- It's okay, a little sore.
- I had a paramedic check him out.
He's a little tired, a little dehydrated.
- How'd you find him?
- Well, like I said, I wasn't planning on
mounting a search until the morning,
but I sent a couple of men out in ATVs,
just in case we got lucky.
- Can we go now?
- Well, we sure don't
want you around here.
- Let's go back to the motel,
we're all pretty tired.
- Yeah, let's go, come on.
(door creaking)
(crickets chirping)
Can't thank you enough,
you guys did a great job.
- Like I said, we just got lucky.
Mr. Henley, about that
town you talked about,
if you want to go out in the
morning, I'd like to see it.
- Oh, I got a feeling my
family wants to get home.
Next time through.
Thanks again.
- Well, that's what we're here for.
You have a safe trip now.
(somber music)
- Well guys, push on to
Windham or back to the motel?
- We already have a room.
I am still not sure why we left the hotel
in the first place.
- Kate?
- I don't wanna be in this
town, anywhere near this town.
Can we just go?
- Ethan?
- Whatever.
(somber music)
(engine humming)
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
- First thing in the morning,
we go to a one-hour place and
get Matt's film developed.
- Right.
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
- Jim, if you were walking
right behind Ethan,
wouldn't you have seen where he fell?
- There was no ravine.
And something happened to Ethan,
but what he thinks
happened to him, didn't.
(footsteps thudding)
(eerie breathing)
- Matt, don't you wanna try
and get some sleep, honey?
- I can't.
My mind is just...
What was in that mine shaft?
Where are the people from
those cars in the desert?
What happened to them?
- Matt, listen.
Tomorrow we'll get your film developed,
and then we'll have...
- Jim!
(body thudding)
(car tumbling)
(wind howling)
(footsteps thudding)
(people groaning)
- [Jim] You okay?
What's out there?
- No, no, no!
- No!
- No, no, no!
(Katie screaming)
(metal squeaking)
(wind howling)
(paper rustling)
(crow cawing)
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(tense music)
(crow cawing)
(bicycle wheels squeaking)
(suspenseful music)
(motorcycle engines humming)
(suspenseful music)
(basketball thumping)
(motorcycle engines humming)
(camera clicking)
(suspenseful music)
(utensils clanging)
(coffee splashing)
- Thanks.
- Welcome.
- So how are the kids?
- Good, everybody's good.
(suspenseful music)
(mouth spitting)
Need some menus?
(suspenseful music)
- Nice bike.
(crow cawing)
(crow cawing)
(wings flapping)
(crow cawing)
There you go.
That's it.
(suspenseful music)
(crow cawing)
(thrilling music)
(camera clicking)
(thrilling music)
(camera clicking)
(crow cawing)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(camera clicking)
(wind howling)
(thrilling music)
(upbeat Multicom jingle)